Joan French, LCPC
Therapist in Illinois
Joan French is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) based in Illinois with 17 years of experience.
- License 180.007674 · Illinois Expires March 2027
- NPI 1710281639 · national registry
- Experience and languages 17+ years in practice English
Details are as listed on the therapist's public professional profile. You can check any license with the state board and any NPI with the national registry.
About Joan
Joan French is a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) based in Illinois with 17 years of experience. She focuses on common struggles like anxiety, depression, stress, grief, sleep problems, and relationship concerns. Joan also supports people facing trauma and abuse, identity questions, family issues, and career or life transitions.
Joan offers a calm, patient presence and aims to make people feel heard. She creates a nonjudgmental space where clients can speak about things that feel hard to say.
Background and approach
She often uses gentle humor to ease tension and help people connect to themselves. Her approach is trauma-informed and integrative. Joan draws on cognitive behavioral techniques to shift unhelpful thought patterns, dialectical behavior strategies to manage intense emotions, and client-centered ways of working that prioritize the person's experience.
She also uses elements from the Gottman Method for improving communication skills and strengthening close relationships. Joan blends talk, practical skills, and creative methods when useful. She has training in art therapy and brings those tools into sessions for people who find nonverbal work helpful.
Her style tends to be resourceful and solution-focused while honoring each person's pace. People who choose Joan can expect straightforward conversation, concrete coping strategies, and work on communication and attachment concerns when those are relevant. She welcomes adults exploring identity questions, and those coping with abandonment, codependency, commitment, or family of origin issues.
Credentials
- LCPC (Illinois)
- License 180.007674 · expires March 2027
- NPI
- 1710281639 · national provider identifier
Both are public records. A state board register will confirm a license and its standing, and the national registry will confirm an NPI. This directory copies what the therapist lists and checks neither.
Focus areas and approaches
Everything Joan lists on their public professional profile, in their own terms.
- Stress, Anxiety
- Relationship issues
- Trauma and abuse
- Self esteem
- Depression
- LGBT
- Family conflicts
- Grief
- Sleeping disorders
- Career difficulties
- Coping with life changes
- Abandonment
- Attachment issues
- Codependency
- Commitment issues
- Communication problems
- Control issues
- Divorce and separation
- Emptiness
- Family of origin issues
- Family problems
- Forgiveness
- Gender dysphoria
- Guilt and shame
- Isolation / loneliness
- Jealousy
- Life purpose
- Midlife crisis
- Mood disorders
- Multicultural concerns
- Narcissism
- Panic disorder and panic attacks
- Postpartum depression
- Post-traumatic stress
- Pregnancy and childbirth
- Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)
- Self-harm
- Self-love
- Sexuality
- Social anxiety and phobia
- Women's issues
- Workplace issues
- Young adult issues
Approaches Joan names
- Gottman Method
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Client-Centered Therapy
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Emotionally-Focused Therapy (EFT)
- Mindfulness Therapy
- Trauma-Focused Therapy
- Internal Family Systems
These are the approaches Joan names on their own professional profile. Naming an approach is not evidence of training or certification in it, and this directory checks no training records. Ask directly if it matters to you.
Online support
How Joan uses therapy approaches online
Joan commonly draws from the Gottman Method to help people improve communication and reduce conflict in close relationships; this approach focuses on practical skills for talking and listening. She also uses Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which helps people notice painful thoughts and feelings while moving toward values-based actions. Client-Centered Therapy is another part of her work, offering a respectful, empathetic stance that centers the person's own goals and experience.Finding the right approach is collaborative. Joan will discuss options with each person and choose techniques that fit their goals and comfort level. She adapts methods over time so sessions stay relevant and useful for whatever is happening in a client's life.
Online sessions offer flexibility and access to care from many places. Video calls let people work face-to-face when they want more connection. Phone sessions can be easier when bandwidth is limited or when someone needs a shorter check-in. Live chat and text-based messaging can support quick touchpoints, ongoing reflection, and homework between scheduled visits. These options help make regular work on goals more practical for busy lives.
We will earn a commission if you sign up through our link, at no cost to you. It does not change what you pay or the order of the listings.
Frequently asked
What kinds of problems does Joan help with?
She supports adults dealing with stress, anxiety, depression, grief, sleep problems, trauma and abuse, relationship concerns, self-esteem, career changes, and family-related issues.
How would you describe her therapeutic style?
Joan uses a calm, patient, and nonjudgmental approach. She blends straight talk, practical coping skills, and occasional light humor to make difficult topics easier to address.
What is her professional background?
She has 17 years of experience as a counselor and holds a Master of Arts in Community Counseling and an Art Therapy Certificate.
Where is Joan licensed and located?
Joan holds an Illinois LCPC license and practices in Illinois.
Which languages are supported for sessions?
Sessions are offered in English.
Can international clients work with Joan?
She is not accepting international clients at this time.
What session formats does she offer?
Joan meets using video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging to fit different preferences and schedules.
How does the cost and subscription work?
Cost varies with location and therapist availability; sessions use a subscription model that can be canceled at any time.
More therapists in Illinois
See all
Dr. Akamin Nkengaka
LCSW
Dr. William Keating
IL Psychologist
Margaret Couch
LCSW
Regina Hughes
LCPC
Is this your profile?
Ask us to correct details or take the page down.